MARTIN: “Tennessee in Segregation and Civil Rights” is the theme of the University of Tennessee at Martin’s ninth annual Civil Rights Conference  running through Feb. 27.

The Rev. James Lawson, who led the successful struggle against segregation in Nashville, will offer the conference keynote address at 7 p.m., Feb. 26, in Watkins Auditorium of Boling University Center. While at Vanderbilt University’s Divinity School, Lawson organized and trained students to challenge segregation in Nashville. Under his tutelage, the Civil Rights Movement made Nashville one of the first Southern cities in which segregation fell.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on visiting Nashville in 1960, proclaimed that, “I came to Nashville not to bring inspiration, but to gain inspiration from the great movement that has taken place in this community.” Lawson trained many future leaders of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, including Diane Nash, James Bevel, Marion Barry, Bernard Lafayette and John Lewis.

Opening ceremonies for the Civil Rights Conference began Feb. 21 with “An Afternoon of Art and Spoken Word,” sponsored by the Ken-Tenn Community Forum.

Today, Native American Civil Rights Day, Feb. 24, will feature a presentation by Native American civil rights activist and musician, Bill Miller, at 7 p.m., in Watkins Auditorium. Miller is a two-time Grammy Award winner for best Native American music. He currently lives in Nashville, where he also maintains an art studio. Miller’s presentation will include some of his greatest hits, including the award-winning, “Reservation Road.”

A whole series of panels and events mark conference activities on Feb. 25 and Feb. 26. On Feb. 25, UT Martin Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Phil Dane, will speak on the integration of college football at 10 a.m., in Room 204, Humanities Building. At noon, the Hortense Parrish Writing Center will sponsor a Black Writers’ Workshop in Room 209, Humanities Building.

From there, the program shifts to the Tennessee Room in the McCombs Center where, from 1 to 2 p.m., a representative from the gay rights organization, the Tennessee Equality Project, will address issues of civil rights and sexual orientation. From 2 to 3 p.m., South Fulton natives, Joyce Washington, Pete Algee and Robert Vanderford, will discuss the segregation and desegregation of the South Fulton school system. Wednesday’s events will conclude with a presentation by Dr. Al Jordon, a product of the segregated Rosenwald School in Trenton, discussing Civil Rights in the 21st Century.

Bobby Lovett will kick off the first of five events on Thursday with a talk, “Intro to Tennessee in Segregation and Civil Rights,” from 9:30-10:45 a.m. Lovett is a professor of history and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Tennessee State University and the foremost historian of the Civil Rights Movement in the state of Tennessee.

Next, panelists, Richard Saunders and Myles Wilson, will discuss “Segregation and Civil Rights in Fayette County, Tenn.” from 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Saunders is a UT Martin associate professor of library science and museum curator. Wilson is Fayette County School System superintendent.

From 1-2:15 p.m., Leo Lillard, Mary Salynn McCollum and Diane Nash will lead a discussion on the “Tennessee Freedom Riders.” Although it is not well known, the Nashville student movement provided crucial leadership for the Freedom Rides, which challenged and defeated segregation in interstate bus travel and interstate bus facilities in 1960 and 1961. Lillard, McCollum and Nash participated in and led the Nashville freedom riders in this effort.

From 2:45-4 p.m., Vivian Morris and Curtis Morris will discuss “The Schools We Lost, the Schools We Are Seeking” in Gooch Hall. The Morrises are co-authors of “The Price They Paid: Desegregation in an African-American Community.” In their work, the Morrises follow one African-American community from school segregation to desegregation. The book contrasts the caring and nurturing African-American school with the hostile new environment in the new predominantly white American school.

The last event for the day will begin with a collegiate gospel choir program, at 7 p.m., in Watkins Auditorium. Following will be a keynote presentation by the Rev. Lawson. The Civil Rights Paper Competition winners will recognized at this event.

On Feb. 27, the conference will close with an evening of music and spoken word in Watkins Auditorium beginning at 6:30 p.m. The UT Martin English honor society, Sigma Tau Delta, will present a spoken word performance, followed by two UT Martin music majors, Joseph Sam and Stephen Hughes, presenting a musical composition on the Civil Rights Movement. At 7:15, the Memphis spoken word group, Brotha’s Keeper, will close out the event.

For information, complete schedule or reservations, call 731-881-7465 or e-mail Dr. David Barber, conference director, at dbarber@utm.edu. The conference schedule can be found at www.utm.edu/civilrights.

Jennifer Williams and Stacie Plunkett greet Healthcare Expo visitors

In a four hour block of time, from 8 a.m. to 12 noon, the Paris Civic Center was a buzz of activity as over six hundred visitors passed through the center’s doors during the sixth annual Healthcare Expo .

Visitors were greeted by Paris Chamber of Commerce representatives Jenifer Williams and Stacie Plunkett, and asked to sign-in and register for free door prizes and give-a-ways. Each visitor received a free gift bag to fill with the free hand-outs and gifts provided by the diverse vendors. Stacie is chairperson of the Chamber’s Healthcare Committee which coordinates the health expo.

At the center of the expo hall’s setup was Henry County Medical Center’s free testing and screening multi-station. Blood pressure checks, blood sugar reading, cholesterol reading, hand grip strength testing and osteoporosis screenings were provided free. The results were recorded and given to each visitor for review with their personal medical care provider.

Paris Civic Center Walking Track

It must be noted that the Paris Civic Center, in addition to being an excellent meeting facility, is a well-rounded fitness center in its own right. Swimming pool, gymnasium and walking track and weight/aerobic fitness rooms are available on a daily full packet price. Daily passes for the separate facilities are also an option.  Annual passes are available at family, senior couple, senior single, adult single and youth single rates. Payment plans are available.  The center offers various fitness programs and classes, for a fee. For more information, please call the Paris Civic Center, 731-644-2517.

The Paris-Henry County Chamber of Commerce provided free copies of its Medical Services Directory, a guide to healthcare providers and allied services. There was information on the Henry County Medical Center’s rehabilitation services, which include physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech/language pathology. The center offers both inpatient and outpatient services. Also under the Health Center’s broad range of services is the Home Health & Hospice Program. It bridges the gap from hospital to home, providing a special kind of support for people with a limited life expectancy and their families. HCMC Home Health and Hospice serves Benton, Carroll, Henry, Humphreys, Stewart and Weakley Counties.

Free copies of Golden Years, the Peddler Advantage Retiree and Senior Citizen Magazine were distributed at the  Eiffel Gardens station. Eiffel Gardens is an spacious assisted living community whose station was staffed by personnel from the residence. There was a bounty of information of assisted living and the allied medical support services available to their residents.

Dr. Todd Keller,West Tennessee Chiropractic Center

Chiropractic Centers were well represented with West Tennessee Chiropractic and Paris Family Chiropractic each giving free screenings. West Tennessee Chiropractic’s Dr. Todd Keller performed upper and lower back scans and included free x-ray exam follow-up at their 1024 Mineral Wells Avenue office.  Paris Family Chiropractic performed energy balance scans. Dr. Elizabeth Craig of Paris Family  Chiropractic also specializes in acupuncture therapy. Both facilities also offer massage therapy, as does Escape A Day Spa- 1000 Cornerstone Drive and Dr. Robert Wesley, 212 Memorial Drive, both in Paris.

Freedom Fitness Tanning Spa

Fitness and exercise centers were also on hand. Freedom Fitness Spa and Tanning Center displayed a stationary exercise bike in combination with a near-infrared light therapy station. Fitness center and program information was also on display. Freedom is a 24-hour fitness spa center. They also offer massage, skin care and spa. Gift certificates are available. Visit them at www.freedomfitnesstn.com

Behavioral and mental health counseling services were the focus of several vendors. Carey Counseling Center displayed information on their diverse behavioral counseling services and extended stay facilities. Other developmental services vendors included Community Developmental Services and Henry County Medical Center Lake Haven. Youth Villages, 107 Memorial Drive, provides youth and family services.

Orthopedic surgery and sports medicine was the the focus of Henry County Therapy Center, Dr. G. Blake Chandler, Dr. Heather Gladwell, Dr. Eugene Gulish as well as the Henry County Medical Center’s Center for Wellness and Rehabilitation. Displays included mock-ups of knee, ankle, neck and spinal assemblies with informational handouts that discussed the various types of injuries each could sustain. Corrective prosthetics and external supports were also displayed. This included braces of various kinds, venous pulmonary support hosiery and diabetic support shoes. Diabetes information and health tips were available.

Walgreen's hands out sports water bottles

Several pharmacies had also set up displays with free give-a-ways. Walgreens distributed sports bottles, coffee mugs, stress relieves, hand sanitizer samples and printed materials on a variety of health issues covering high blood pressure, diabetes, dental hygiene, heart disease, physical exercise for health maintenance, flu immunizations and more.

In any discussion of health care in the United States health insurance is bound to be part of the conversation. Several insurance vendors provided handouts, mouse pads as give-a-ways, pens, had personnel on hand to answer questions from the visitors. Ricky Rhodes Insurance & Financial Services, Consolidated Insurance, the Allison Insurance Group, Tennessee Rural Health-Henry County Farm Bureau and Dixie Hines Agency were just a few of the agencies on site. Ricky Rhodes provided free juicy tangerines for all visitors to their station. Very tasty treats!

Tomorrow’s Hope Pregnancy Help Center manned a station with information centered on providing pregnancy counseling, natal and post-natal counseling and care, anger management and parenting classes.

All the while the many vendors were interacting with the continuously changing crowd of attendees, door prizes winners were being called out. The ultimate winners however must be acknowledged as the people of the Henry County regional area who have access to the many fine services showcased at this health expo.